Last Saturday was one of those situations when time couldn’t go by fast enough for Chrystopher Collin, Mike Reagan, and other members of Team Canada West.
The squad, representing the Western leagues, took a 5-1 lead with just over seven minutes gone by in the third period of the World Junior A Hockey Challenge championship game. Flin Flon rookie forward Collin, head coach Reagan, and the team worked hard to ensure Team USA didn’t mount a crazy comeback at the prestigious event in Truro, NS.
“That was the longest last 10 minutes of my life,” Collin said.
It was Canada West’s fifth WJAC gold medal. The victory marked the first time in four tries the squad had knocked off the Americans in the finals. Reagan won a gold medal in 2015 as an assistant coach with Canada West. He successfully led the team to title this year in spite of the fact Canada West lost both of its preliminary round games.
“Character. Lots of character and a lot of heart,” was Reagan’s response when asked about what made the difference for his team in a Hockey Canada media release. “‘The Western Way.’ That’s what we preached, and the ‘Canadian Way,’ and I’m just so proud of these guys. Three days ago we were sitting at 0-2, but we believed in this group.”
There were a number of high points of the tournament for Collin, who is from the Montreal area but played for Canada West as he competes in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. When asked what he enjoyed most about the event, Collin said the fans, when the buzzer sounded at the end of the championship tilt, and when he raised the trophy.
“It’s obviously the best day of my life,” Collin said.
Canada West opened the event with losses to the Czech Republic, 5-2, and the United States, 2-1. In the quarterfinals, the team dispatched Canada East, 4-3, in overtime. Canada West then upset the Czech Republic, 5-1, to advance to the finals. It was the Czech Republic’s lone loss of the tournament as it went on to beat Russia, 4-2, to win bronze. The championship game was broadcasted
on TSN.
